We call them lightning bugs, but in some
parts of the country they’re known as fireflies. Whatever you call them, we all
enjoy seeing them flitting around and lighting up on summer nights.
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| Photinus pyralis image from focusingonwildlife.com |
Many of us
enjoyed catching them and placing them in a lidded jar on our nightstand when
we went to bed at night, but did you know that lightning bugs are beneficial
insects?
Lightning bugs are actually beetles that have a soft outer shell
instead of a hard one. Lightning bugs lay their eggs in soft mud. Maybe that’s
why we have so many this year—if you’ve been out to our place, you’ve seen our
mud!
It’s the larvae that are so helpful to gardeners—eating pests like snails,
slugs, cutworms, and other larval pests. The larvae are luminous as well,
lighting up all the time, but turning off their light when disturbed. For this
reason they’re called Glow-worms.
Researchers are also studying lightning bugs
because they contain two rare chemicals that are used to fight cancer, multiple
sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, and heart disease. So next time you’re sitting
outside enjoying a warm summer evening, think about the wonderful little
lightning bugs and all the other benefits God is providing for us in nature!
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